Paul Westphal’s disastrous handling of the DeMarcus Cousins situation, coupled with the Sacramento Kings’ rough start this season (2-5) signaled the end of his reign in Sac-Town. From Sactown Royalty: “The Sacramento Kings have announced that Paul Westphal has been fired as head coach. Keith Smart takes over for the Thursday game against the Milwaukee Bucks.”

As expected, DeMarcus Cousins will re-join his team as they continue on their merrily dysfunctional way. Reports the Sac Bee: “The Kings maintain that DeMarcus Cousins demanded to be traded. Cousins maintains that didn’t happen.Neither side is budging on its claim following a meeting Monday involving Cousins, his agent, John Greig, and Kings basketball president Geoff Petrie. After the meeting, Petrie decided Cousins would join the Kings on their flight for tonight’s game against Memphis. Cousins was sent home by coach Paul Westphal before Sunday’s game against New Orleans. Westphal said that during a meeting after Saturday’s loss to New York, Cousins asked to be traded, a demand the coach said the center also made Dec. 24. Westphal added that there had been multiple issues with Cousins that had not been publicized. Westphal said Cousins was told if there were more incidents there would be ‘less protection’ from the team in not disclosing them.Cousins issued a statement Monday: ‘I want to address my missing the New Orleans game Sunday. I have not demanded or requested a trade. I don’t agree with the actions taken but will give my sincere effort to put it behind me and compete the best I can for my team.’ Cousins will dress for tonight’s game but will not start, Westphal said.”

On New Year’s Eve, the Sacramento Kings lost handily to the New York Knicks at home (their third straight defeat), and after the game players openly blamed head coach Paul Westphal for the team’s ineptitude on the offensive end of the floor.

Many of his complaints after Saturday’s loss were right on point. Notwithstanding Sunday’s win over the rebuilding Hornets, the Kings effort had been lacking, the ball and body movement nonexistent, and a sense of cohesiveness nowhere to be found. For most of these opening days, the Kings have been solo artists, dribbling their way to three painful losses.

Seriously? Cousins wants to be traded? The Kings would be nuts to entertain a single phone call, which apparently are not. “We leave that stuff (the benching) to the basketball people,” Kings co-owner Joe Maloof said before tipoff, “but we’re not trading him.” They might have considered picking up the phone, though, and placing a pre-emptive courtesy call to Cousins’ agent, John Greig. That would have been prudent and mature and pre-emptive, and a clear indication that, amid the stormy season’s start, cooler heads indeed will prevail.

DeMarcus Cousins and his agent both alluded to the fact that no real trade demand has been made despite Paul Westphal’s claims.

Were I a betting man, I’d wager that when the dust eventually settles, Cousins will outlast his coach in Sacramento.

Can’t say we saw this one coming. Sacramento Kings Head Coach Paul Westphal just released a statement noting that DeMarcus Cousins has asked to be traded, and as a result has been told to stay home by his (soon-to-be-former?) team. He’ll miss tonight’s game against the Hornets. Here’s Westphal’s full statement:

“Whenever a new season begins, in any sport, there is great hope that everything will progress in only a steady, upward direction. As we all know, it seldom happens like that in this life!

As coaches, we can only ask that our players do everything they can to improve themselves as individuals and teammates. If they do this with all their hearts, we live with the results.

Everything that happens on a team does not become known to the public. This is how it should be. However, when a player continually, aggressively, lets it be known that he is unwilling/unable to embrace traveling in the same direction as his team, it cannot be ignored indefinitely.

DeMarcus Cousins has demanded to be traded. In the best interest of our team as we go forward, he has been directed by me, with the support of management, to stay home from the New Orleans game tonight.”

DeMarcus Cousins talking about his goal of improving his game from between the ears has to sound good to all Sacramento Kings fans, players and coaches. Per the Sac Bee: “Cousins doesn’t blame his teammates’ inability to catch passes for averaging 3.3 turnovers, ninth-most in the NBA. Nor is there complaining about officiating as a reason Cousins led the NBA with an average of 4.1 fouls per game. Then there’s the 43-percent shooting from the field, especially bad for a 6-foot-11 center. Cousins begins his second season tonight against the Los Angeles Lakers with plans to improve all those numbers. Maybe the officials will give Cousins the benefit of the doubt. He also should know what he can get away with when it comes to contact on the court. Cousins, however, knows all improvements begin with him. ‘I’m actually hoping for all of that,’ he said. ‘But it’s really just me playing smarter. But I’ve got to play a lot smarter.’ […] For the Kings to improve, Cousins has to stay on the floor more than the 28.5 minutes he averaged as a rookie.Kings coach Paul Westphal said Cousins learns through experience rather than being told what to do. ‘It’s hard for him to learn by somebody telling him something, but he does learn,’ Westphal said. ‘One of the things about last year was I knew DeMarcus was going to have to play through some mistakes in order to find where the boundaries are. I expect his improvement to be in the areas of shooting percentage, turnovers and fouls.’ […] ‘I think picking his spots comes a little bit better with experience and conditioning,’ Westphal said. ‘You get a little tired sometimes and you try to shove your way through instead of finesse your way through. He’s got the finesse.’ Reflecting on his rookie season, Cousins can point to instances where he didn’t play as smart as he needed to. ‘I’m playing against some of the smaller big men, and I’m trying to take them off the dribble,’ Cousins said. ‘I should be using my body, using my strength. It’s just knowing what to use.'”

Casspi more or less asked to be traded from the Kings, and took shots at his head coach. Paul Westphal had a chance to reply. From the Sac Bee: “Casspi said his intent wasn’t to cause problems and that he will continue to work hard and wait his turn to play. ‘I haven’t played in a while and coach came up to me and told me he’s going in different direction – and he’s not going my direction,’ Casspi said. ‘So I’m not mad at nobody or trying to cry about not playing, but it is what it is. So hopefully I’ll be in a better situation next year.’ Wespthal said he understands Casspi’s frustration. Casspi has started 27 games this season so not playing isn’t easy. But Francisco García has been the most consistent starter at small forward. Donté Greene is also playing well. ‘He’s saying the truth the way he sees it,’ Westphal said. ‘I don’t agree with in particular his statement that he wants to go to a team where team play is important. Maybe that was lost in translation but that’s kind of a ridiculous statement.'”

Casspi basically asked for a trade from the Kings by publishing a column on an Israeli website. Interesting tactic. From the Jerusalem Post: “It’s not easy for me to sit on the bench, which has happened to me quite a bit in Sacramento’s last few games,’ Casspi wrote in a column published on Israeli sports website ONE … ‘The situation in Sacramento is not like it used to be in the past. Coach Paul Westphal is experimenting and trying different things and I’m certainly not in his plans. We have six more games until the end of the season, and although I won’t say that I’m counting the seconds, it is clear to me that I will have to make some decisions at the end of the year … I know that there are many teams, including some playoff teams, that want me ahead of next season,’ he wrote. ‘I hope to find myself in a team that appreciates me as a player and a person, a team that plays like a team. I still don’t know if I will definitely not be continuing with the Kings. I’ve got a contract and love the fans, the city, the owner and the general manager. But things haven’t worked out and that is legitimate. Sacramento is the team that gave me the chance to play in the NBA so it would be egotistical of me to say I want to leave, but I’m certain that I’m good enough to play, whether it is for the Kings or another team. Clearly the current situation is not ideal for the team and for me. There are other teams which suit me better and since I have an excellent relationship with the players and the staff, I hope that they appreciate me enough to let me leave for a place where I can play basketball.'”

Kings rookie forward DeMarcus Cousins was removed from team plane bound for Phoenix after an altercation with teammate Donte Greene, according to two sources close to the organization.

The incident, which was first reported by FanHouse, immediately followed a loss to Oklahoma City on Saturday night. Cousins, who had overcome early-season struggles of the performance and personality variety recently, is expected to be suspended for at least one game. Kings basketball president Geoff Petrie did not immediately return a call for comment.

According to the sources, Cousins (whose postgame interview can be seen here) was furious at the last play in which Tyreke Evans missed a three-pointer in the final seconds of regulation that would have won the game. Cousins, who had been calling for the ball in the post in the final possession, watched angrily as Greene inbounded the ball to Evans for the final shot.

After the buzzer, he ran the length of the court to catch up to Evans and Greene and was letting his opinions be known as he blew by them to enter the locker room. According to the sources, Greene and Cousins began exchanging words inside the locker room. The situation then escalated, with both players taking swings at each other before they were separated.

From the sounds of it, there seems to be a lot of tension between Evans and Cousins, both of whom are considered to be huge parts of the Kings’ future. The idea of having to split up the two, especially so quickly and with so much still ahead of each, is pretty absurd, and it’d be a shame and an extremely rash move if Sacramento’s front office were to proceed in that direction.

There’s little to like about this situation, but, hopefully, everyone involved (especially DMC) can take this as a learning experience and move forward.

My only question here is, What would Paul Westphal have done if he coached someone like Reggie Miller? Probably nothing. The Sac Bee reports: “Kings basketball president Geoff Petrie regularly views the game near the visiting basket at Arco Arena in the second half of games. So Petrie had a clear view of Cousins making a choking gesture at Warriors guard Reggie Williams after Williams missed the first of three free throws. Petrie was not amused. ‘I was really surprised that he didn’t get a taunting (technical) foul for one thing,’ Petrie said. ‘I just don’t feel that kind of behavior is professional, number one, and it doesn’t reflect well on him.’ Cousins didn’t get a technical foul, but coach Paul Westphal fined him an undisclosed amount and removed him from the starting lineup. Petrie said he agreed with Westphal’s punishment. Westphal said Cousins would not be a starter again until he ‘exemplifies the kind of professionalism that we expect.’ The gesture came with Williams at the free-throw line with 19.3 seconds left in regulation.”

Cousins says that getting tossed from practice was a good lesson for him, but sounds pretty down-and-out about his play these days (in fact, no one in the kings‘ locker room sounds happy.) The Sac Bee reports: “It was a good lesson for me,’ the rookie said. ‘I’m mad and I’m frustrated about losing, and in my opinion, I think different strategies should be in the game. But I was being selfish. I’m a big part of this team, and coach (Paul) Westphal has been saying it. I’ve been terrible. It’s the truth.’ ‘It’s not a perfect world,’ Cousins’ mother, Monique, said Tuesday afternoon from Mobile, Ala. ‘These kids are used to instant (gratification) and they come into the league so young. It’s hard. They have to learn. We preach this: ‘Just don’t say anything!’ He’ll get better, you’ll see.’ Is he listening? Is he learning? Is he getting too much blame for the Kings’ disappointing season? Yes. Absolutely. While the Kings struggle along, the Cousins debate is only one of several hot topics inside Arco Arena. The locker room is a nasty place of late. There is more sniping than conversation. Think of Sacramento as a chilly Miami. The players are mad at the coach. The offensive system often consists of five players standing or dribbling, and seemingly oblivious to the beauty and benefits of the pass. The pace is too slow. The defense seldom creates transition opportunities. Sort of like last year.”

The DeMarcus Cousins trainwreck is taking place in Sac-Town to the surprise of, well, nobody. The Beehas the latest: “Kings rookie center DeMarcus Cousins was kicked out of Monday’s practice. Cousins slipped to fifth in June’s NBA draft because of questions about his maturity and attitude. He was fined earlier this season after a verbal dispute with the Kings’ strength and conditioning coach. ‘It was a necessary move in our continued attempt to help him develop,’ said Kings coach Paul Westphal of removing Cousins from practice. Westphal declined to explain why Cousins made it through only two-thirds of practice. ‘I’m not going to get into details,’ Westphal said. ‘He was asked to leave early.’ Cousins is struggling to find his place in the offense and to stay out of foul trouble.”

Things haven’t gone well for the Kings so far this season, and a lot of the blame is falling on their unimaginative offensive schemes. The Sac Bee reports that the front-office is on the hunt for a traditional point guard so that Tyreke Evans can play off the ball more: “Late Monday night, a visibly upset Beno Udrih basically summarized what advance scouts (and many of his teammates) have been reporting about the Kings for weeks: ‘We’re predictable. We don’t make other teams work for anything, never attack from different sides of the floor. We don’t move the ball. It’s all one-on-one.’ In fairness to [Paul] Westphal, everyone acknowledges the Kings are far from a finished product. They need outside shooting like ski resorts need snow. They need DeMarcus Cousins to behave like a mature adult, not a 20-year-old kid. They need a facilitator so they can move Tyreke Evans to shooting guard or small forward and exploit his strength and natural scoring instincts. Better yet, they need Geoff Petrie to acquire a more conventional point guard – or a player whose skills would better complement those of Evans – and accelerate the learning process. (The Kings are aggressively pursuing a move and reportedly have inquired about Atlanta’s Jeff Teague and Houston’s Aaron Brooks, among others, though team officials declined to comment on the speculation.) ‘There’s no point bemoaning what we don’t have,’ Westphal added. ‘Right now with this team, the best possible thing we can (accomplish) is to put together a defensive identity. Put the pieces together in a way that fits. Be the best defensive team we can be. We will work it out offensively. I don’t think anyone expected us to look like the 1971 Knicks after 13 games.'”

Cousins was recently fined $5,000 by Paul Westphal, and according to ESPN, there’s growing tension between the two. (The local paper, though, says it’s not that big of a deal): “Word is that handling rookie forward DeMarcus Cousins is proving to be an even bigger job for coach Paul Westphal and his staff than expected, even after the Kings hired Cousins’ high school coach (Otis Hughley) in hopes of keeping the 20-year-old — freshly relegated to a bench role — plugged in. One source close to the situation told ESPN.com that Cousins was fined recently for clashing with members of Westphal’s staff. I’ve also been advised that it’s not one-and-done as far as such clashes go, which has created a level of tension that — anticipated or not — obviously isn’t what the Kings need when they’re already operating at such an experience deficit on top of their serious defensive frailties. No one doubts the potential possessed by the Kings’ precocious tag team of Cousins and Tyreke Evans. But as one veteran scout warned me during summer league in Las Vegas, when tales and hints of Cousins’ volatility and immaturity spread quickly: ‘It’s always risky to have two young divas on the same team.’ Didn’t take long for the Kings to find out.”

Despite the local media’s anticipation of a much juicier story when this was announced, Cousins graciously accepted his coach’s decision to bring him off the pine. The Sac Bee reports: “DeMarcus Cousins only looked as if he wanted to throw a punch when his coach announced plans to move veteran Samuel Dalembert into the starting lineup. The big rookie stepped aside graciously, and in fact, appeared almost a little relieved. ‘I thought it was a great idea,’ Cousins said Thursday after Kings practice. ‘I think it will really help the team … because I’m still learning. Coming in off the bench, I can how see how the game is, I can learn how aggressive to be and not be. I get the feel of the game a lot better.’ So, like we said. So much for a starting center controversy. This was the plan long before the team gathered for training camp: Dalembert starting and anchoring the defense. Cousins, the immensely talented but foul-plagued first-round draft choice, initially sitting and watching and learning. The 6-foot-11, 270-pound youngster entering the game late in the first quarter and playing approximately 30 minutes instead of his current 22.6.”

As we inch closer to the Finals, it’s time to look back at one of the all-time Finals classics, Game 3 of the ’93 Finals. MJ, Sir Charles and Pip. 3 OTs. Published in SLAM 29, you forget just how colorful Barkley was before he got into the booth.—Ed.

by Jeramie McPeek

“I don’t remember that game,” says current Phoenix coach Danny Ainge, then a guard for the Suns. “I remember we won. I remember it was exciting, but that’s all I remember.”

Or not.

Perhaps the stresses and pressures of being a head coach have played havoc with Ainge’s memory. Or maybe when you play in 27 Finals games over a 14-year career, it’s too difficult to remember the details of any one in particular. Probably even more so when said series didn’t end in a championship, unlike Ainge’s ’84 and ’86 trips with the Celtics.

But for the likes of Charles Barkley, Kevin Johnson and Dan Majerle, All-Stars who have never gotten closer to a championship than that series, Game Three will always be a high point of their careers.

“Oh, no question,” Barkley says solemnly, as if thinking back on the good ol’ days. “That was a great game.”

For Sir Charles and the Suns, the ’92-93 run was unquestionably their best ever. Phoenix tipped off the season in the newly opened America West Arena, in bright new unis with new head coach Paul Westphal and with a new cast of characters which included Ainge (a free-agent signee) and Barkley (traded from Philly). Putting Ricki Lake’s makeovers to shame, the new and improved Suns rolled to a franchise-record, league-best 62 Ws.

Meanwhile, with only a three-month recess coming off back-to-back championships, the Bulls were a bit drained entering the season-especially Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, who had spent several weeks on the world’s court in Barcelona with Sir Charles. Chicago still managed to pull out a 57-25 record but were without the home-court advantage in the Eastern Conference Finals against New York and in the NBA Finals.

No matter-despite raucous sellout crowds in Phoenix, the home-court edge was of little help to the Suns. They were very nearly Finals bystanders after dropping two-straight at home to the eighth-seeded Lakers in the best-of-five opening-round series. In fact, if not for rookie center Oliver Miller’s seven blocks and 14 boards in the decisive Game Five, the Sonics would have most likely been the Bulls’ opponents in ’93.

Seattle, led by a 24-year-old GP and a 23-year-old Reignman, took Phoenix to the brink in the Conference Finals, after the Suns had thumped San Antonio in the Semis. Then Barkley, named the League’s Most Valuable prior to the series, dropped 44 points and grabbed 24 rebounds in a do-or-die Game Seven win, pointing out his climbing digits each time he passed George Karl’s bench.

After the victory and under a downpour of confetti, Barkley proclaimed that the Suns were a team of destiny. God wanted Phoenix to win the championship. Or so he spouted.

While God was likely not rooting for one team over the other, the Finals pairing was the one NBC’s peacock had been praying for. Sir vs. Air, then the game’s two most popular players, but also two prime targets for controversy. During the playoffs, Barkley blasted the media after reports of an alleged fling with Madonna surfaced. Jordan boycotted the press when a book claiming he had a gambling problem was released the week before the championship series.

However, MJ’s silence was broken and his spirits lifted after the Bulls stole a page from the Lakers book and swiped the first two games in Phoenix. Homecourt advantage-what homecourt advantage? The Suns, who’d lost slashing forward Cedric Ceballos to a broken foot during the Sonics series, seemed to have misplaced the confidence that had brought them to the Finals for the first time since ’76.

Of course, it didn’t help matters that KJ, the team’s explosive floor general, was MIA. With two games under his belt, he had totaled only 15 points and eight assists to go with nine turnovers.

“When I walked into Chicago, I had a lot of fans here,” Johnson joked after his heroic performance in Game Three. “I guess they liked the way I played in Games One and Two.” His earlier struggles even drew boos from a portion of the Phoenix faithful, which in turn produced a cursing out from Barkley.

Entering that now-infamous game at Chicago Stadium, where the Bulls were undefeated during the playoffs, the Suns looked finished. Not only had KJ seemingly misplaced his game, but Barkley, who’d fallen on his right elbow late in Game Two, couldn’t lift the swollen limb above his shoulder an hour before tip-off.

However, Suns coach Paul Westphal had no intentions of conceding the “three-peat.” He decided to mix things up a bit when handing out his defensive assignments. Barkley was given center Bill Cartwright, and Suns center Mark West was asked to cover forward Ho Grant. Rookie phenom Richard Dumas-most recently in Europe after serving a couple of drug-related suspensions-was switched from Scottie Pippen to B.J. Armstrong, and Dan Majerle took over on Pip. That left the 6-1 Johnson on the 6-6 NBA scoring leader and the greatest to ever play the game: Jordan.

“I had been playing terrible before then, offensively particularly, and what Paul did was switch me on Jordan-I didn’t have time to think about offense and somehow they both just clicked,” recalls KJ, who played a record 62-and-a-half of the marathon’s 63-minutes, totaling 25 points and nine assists. “For me in my career, that was one of the best coaching decisions that’s ever been made.”

The strategic maneuvering appeared to be a work of genius in the opening minutes: the Bulls were disoriented, and the Suns jumped out to an early lead. Dumas scored the first points with a nasty jam, KJ drove the middle for an easy lay-in and Barkley, who’d had the fluid drained from his appendage and was sportin’ a giant diaper-looking pad around his ‘bow, knocked down a three-pointer from the top of the arc.

“I’m the best one-armed player in the world,” he’d spout after his 24-point, 19-board showing.

Chicago was quick to make adjustments, however, and the two teams traded buckets and leads throughout the first three quarters But with Barkley and Jordan, golfing partners between games, both on the pine at the top of the fourth, the Suns took control. The two superstars returned three minutes in, only to meet in a collision when Charles spun Mike like wool on a hard foul.

“They can be friends after the game, but not now,” Magic told Marvelous in the broadcast booth.

Under double- and even triple-team pressure, Jordan had a very unlike Mike fourth, hitting on only one of his 10 attempts in the period. He did finish the night with a typical 44 points, but needed 43 shots to do so.

Despite an 11-point fourth-quarter lead, the Suns were unable to polish off Chicago in regulation. Armstrong drilled a three. Pippen inbounded the ball off Ainge’s back under the basket, caught it and dunked. Grant had a slam of his own and a putback off a Jordan miss. And the Bulls came rallying back to tie things up at 103. They even had a chance to win it, but Horace fumbled a tip-in at the buzzer. OT No. 1.

There isn’t much to tell about the first extra stanza. Both teams struggled, hitting only four shots between them in the five minutes. In fact, the biggest shot of the period was the three-pointer launched by a completely wide-open Ainge that bounced off the front of the tin as time expired. Again.

Pippen, lying on the wood, holding his cramping thigh, was helped to the bench for a quick massage and a little ice as OT No. 2 got underway. As the two teams traded punches like groggy heavyweights going the distance, Jordan went for the knockout, scoring on a layup and then a jumper to give his Bulls a four-point lead in the closing minute.

But Barkley counter-punched with a jumper of his own. Jordan missed with 10 ticks left. KJ drove the length of the floor and dished to Majerle behind the three-point line. Pump faking B.J. out of his shorts, he stepped under the flying defender and buried another game-tying J. Pippen missed the game-winning attempt this time, and it was on to a third overtime.

“It was a momentum game,” Barkley says. “You thought you’d won it, you thought you had lost it, but we just hung in there and got a break.”

Unlike Game Five of the ’76 Finals, when the Suns fell to the Celtics in three OTs at Boston Garden, Phoenix (finally) caught all the breaks in this eerie re-make. “Thunder Dan” canned his sixth three-pointer of the night to open the period-from about 28 feet out-and the Suns never looked back.

The win was signed, sealed and delivered when Barkley snagged an errant pass from Bulls forward Stacey King under the Suns basket and scored.

“Stacey King got the ball and didn’t want it,” Barkley explains succinctly. “He didn’t want it, because the game was on the line. And I knew he was going to throw it to Michael. I stole it and laid it in.”

The final score was Phoenix 129, Chicago 121, but the tell-tale signs of the game were the ear-to-ear grin plastered on Barkley’s mug and the mixed look of frustration and exhaustion on Jordan’s.

“I felt it was a great game,” Michael said that night, “but not one of the greatest I’ve ever played in, because we lost.”

Last night, Spencer learned that he was no longer in coach Paul Westphal’s good graces: “Spencer Hawes isn’t injured. But when he showed up Tuesday evening at Arco Arena, his No. 31 jersey wasn’t hanging in his locker. Hawes, the Kings’ third-year and sometimes-starting center was inactive for Tuesday’s game against the Detroit Pistons. ‘I saw where he’s having a hard time understanding his role,’ said Kings coach Paul Westphal. ‘He should understand it (after) tonight.’ Westphal said there was no specific reason for putting Hawes on the bench. Hawes has been vocal at times this season about his fluctuating minutes and changing roles.”

Well, it depends who on the Kings that you ask: “The new coach took his boss’ exuberance with a smile. Paul Westphal could only chuckle when asked about Kings co-owner Gavin Maloof’s statement during the Web cast of Monday’s NBA Summer League game that rookie Tyreke Evans would be the starting point guard ‘as soon as he steps on the court.’ Not so fast. Evans will be a big part of the Kings’ plans this coming season. Westphal, however, hasn’t committed to hand the team over to the prized rookie from Memphis. ‘I read that too,’ Westphal said. ‘I think maybe Gavin might have gotten it mixed up with the regular season and summer league…I haven’t made any pronouncement like that.'”

I guess LA’s not going to sweep after all, then. I’m going to leave most of the Finals talk to our guys on the ground out in Orlando, but I still think the Lakers are going to win this series. Dwight Howard is too mechanical, takes too much time to figure out what he wants to do with the ball, particularly against a team this good. And they need Dwight — or Duh-wight, as most of the announcers say it — to create space. Even Kareem said yesterday that Dwight’s still “kind of raw” and he lacks a go-to move. And then he probably tried to sell him one of those Skyhook t-shirts that he’s constantly hocking on Twitter.

Thinking back to Game 3, for a Magic fan, you had to love that play at the end of the game where the Magic worked the ball around the perimeter, probing for the open man, and then Rashard Lewis decided not to pass to an open Hedo, instead shooting over a defender and draining a long two. It was a shot that took some guts and nuts, and I was mildly surprised to see Rashard go up with such certainty.

I’m sticking with LA in five. Moving on…

• Speaking of Duh-wight, we posted the new cover of NBA Live 10here. Also, I was playing Tiger Woods 09 last night and thinking that Tiger Woods 10 must be about to come out. And then today I got a package in the mail and it was Tiger Woods 10. I’m pretty sure I made that happen with my mind.

• Linkstigator Gabe out in LA writes…

My name is Gabe Yeh and my buddy Matt and I run a small design business out in Southern California. We’re big Laker fans and so recently we decided to launch a little community based street art project.

I made up an image of Kobe, we printed some posters and they made their way all over the streets of LA. Most of which had no logo or url or anything associated with them so its created a small buzz especially with the Finals coming up. (we made Eddie Cruz, from UNDFTD, twitter a few hours after the first batch of posters went up.)

Now we’re launching a site to go along with the whole projects and we printed a few REP KOBE tees as well. If you have a minute, please check out the site.

The main goal of the whole project is just to do something fun to get everyone out here pumped up for the Finals. The posters are available to download for free on the site so people can also print them at home, post them up at work or wherever and get involved in the whole thing too.

• The Sacramento Kings have hired Paul Westphal to continue their rebuilding process — the third coach in the last two years to get a shot at this. So there’s that. They could hire Red Auerbach to coach but unless they get some real players out there, they’re not rebuilding anything. I know Kings fans hate to hear this, and I’m not saying this just to be mean, but when Kevin Martin is your franchise player, it’s not much of a franchise.

I also like how Westphal basically got the job because nobody else wanted it. According to the Sacramento Bee, the gig was down to Westphal, Kurt Rambis and Boston assistant Tom Thibodeau. Then Thibodeau pulled out, and Rambis apparently couldn’t get a long enough contract offer…and the Kings had a new coach!

I’m reminded of the line from the great movie Beautiful Girls: “One comes to a decision based on what one wants, not based on what one doesn’t want. Got it?”

• If you can’t tell, I’m sorta out of it today. I not only can’t lift my arms above my shoulders, but I rode right past my subway stop this morning on the way to work, and then I missed the next stop, too.

My absent-mindedness is because I had to go yesterday and get a bunch of immunization shots for a trip Wifey and I have planned for July. And I probably shouldn’t have scheduled a trip to the eye doctor this afternoon. You’d think that by now, in 2009, they’d have some way to check out your eyes without dilating them. Or they could shrink them back after they dilate them. Or something.

I wear contacts, and I have a pair of glasses I wear at night, post-contacts. But if I have to get new glasses, I’m getting these.

• I don’t really get Toronto trading Jason Kapono for Reggie Evans. What, they had enough good outside shooting? And anyone else see that Alvin Williams is now an assistant coach for the Toronto Raptors?

• Here’s a pretty cool cell phone power adaptor cable. I have about 10 cell phone power adaptors scattered throughout my suitcases and my crib because I’m always needing one. If I got this one I’m afraid I’d have to get 10. And then my apartment would look like Wrigley Field. Or I could get one of these new Nokia joints that recharges itself.

• Finally, a quick endorsement of the new “Man vs. Wild” episode with special guest Will Ferrell. I already liked Bear Grylls, but this episode with Ferrell to promote “Land of the Lost” was really hilarious. Here’s a quick clip to end on for today. Check your local listings (or Youtube) for the full show…

Continuing its cost-saving measures, the Kings announced late last night that Paul Westphal would be their next head coach: “According to two sources with knowledge of the situation, the Kings will hire former Phoenix and Seattle head coach Paul Westphal for their vacant head coaching position. Westphal is believed to have agreed to a deal for two guaranteed seasons at $1.5 million per.”